Buzz
The Water-Splashing Festival in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar will be celebrated enthusiastically in about a month. Surely many Mytour customers are prepared for a trip to these countries to immerse themselves in the traditional festival atmosphere, getting a little wet but having a lot of fun. However, if you are unable to travel abroad, you can still participate in the Water-Splashing Festival right here in Vietnam.
Chol Chnam Thmay Tet – Mekong Delta
Chol Chnam Thmay Tet in the Mekong Delta also takes place around April 13th - 15th every year, featuring rituals such as bathing Buddha statues, water splashing, and offering rice to monks. Among these sacred ceremonies, the most enthusiastically embraced activity is water splashing to welcome the new year.
On the 3rd day of Chol Chnam Thmay Tet (April 15th), Khmer people gather in the streets and villages across provinces like An Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu... to splash water on each other to celebrate the new year. Children in the riverine regions pour water on each other, believing that the wetter they get, the luckier they will be in the new year. Splashing water symbolizes future luck, while at that moment, everyone enjoys themselves to the fullest, forgetting all the hardships of the past year.
Bun Voc Nam Festival – Celebrating in Lai Chau
According to tradition, whenever the rice harvest is complete, the Laotian community joyfully welcomes the Bun Voc Nam Festival (around mid-November or early April in the Gregorian calendar). The main festival takes place in Na Tam commune, Tam Duong district (Lai Chau), where many Laotian people reside.
Bun Voc Nam Festival – A Festival of Water-Splashing and Cultural Activities
In the Festival segment, everyone gathers at the stream to freely splash water on each other. At this point, nobody remains dry, but the belief among the community is that the more soaked you are, the luckier you become. Everyone laughs joyfully, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere amidst the forest. After the water splashing, everyone returns to savor various culinary delights made from agricultural products of the Laotian community such as bamboo rice, cylindrical sticky rice cakes, and colorful sticky rice.
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Source: Mytour Travel Handbook
MytourJuly 8, 2013
